8 email list building mistakes to avoid

What is the single most important thing to an Internet business? I hear this question more than almost any other. And the answer is always the same — you NEED an email list of prospective clients. And not just any list… you need a warm, receptive, QUALITY list. Not just a collection of names and emails, but a fan club of sorts — a group of active, raving fans that will sing your praises to anyone who will listen.

Having a list in your marketing arsenal will instantly maximize your outreach, while making it easier to make money with less work involved. But, like a lot of things in this business, there are some serious pitfalls that can trip you up along the way.

This is something many seem to struggle with. They’re not sure how often to email their list. It’s simple really, you should email as often as you like, providing you have something of value to send to them. I would suggest that you send no more than “one” email each day though, and if you haven’t got anything of value to send, then don’t bloody send anything until you do.

Mistake 2 – Not reminding your list who you are:

We are all on many people’s lists. I don’t know about you, but I forget who’s bloody who after a short while. This is why personal branding is so important. Start off your email by stating who you are. eg: Hi folks, Dr Lector here, today I want to eat your liver, you get the idea. Be memorable, and always communicate your story to your list. Building a real relationship is crucial to your success online.

Mistake 3 – Not selling enough:

A lot of people are afraid to sell. I find this incredible, but it’s true. You must sell to your list, and you must NOT be apprehensive about doi ng so either. This is what you are online for right? To make money? To sell products? To promote? You should never have a problem selling if the product is high quality. So that’s the key, only sell or promote high quality stuff.

Mistake 4 – Selling too much:

Yep, nothing gets me scrolling to the bottom of an email quicker than being sold to every day by the same marketer. How can they even make time to try all these products they are promoting. I think it’s safe to say that it doesn’t work long-term and it will kill your list very quickly. Personally I think it’s a safe bet to have one promotion to every 3 content rich emails. You can also put a “ps” at the bottom of each email that subtly promotes quality products.

Mistake 5 – Being boring, not being unique:

This is a big part of the whole relationship building thing. It’s important to inject your personality into your emails. People need to relate to you. Don’t make the mistake of trying to sell, or relate to everyone. It’s just not possible to connect with every person you meet. Remember the saying “If you try to sell to everybody, you end up selling to no one”

Mistake 6 – Not making “list building” a priority:

Probably the biggest mistake I see. Too many people leave it far too late in the game to build a list, and others just slap an opt-in form onto their website and hope for the best. List building “IS’ the most important part of your business, and if you haven’t got a list…you haven’t got a business. Okay, that may be a wee bit over the top, but in 90% of the cases, it’s absolutely true. Okay, that may be a wee bit over the top too, but in 85% of the cases, it’s true. Time moves on, interests move on too, so it’s important to have fresh leads coming into your business every single day.

Mistake 7 – Not having enough follow-up emails:

Did you know that the average person buys on the 7th contact you have with them? This doesn’t mean you have to send them 7 emails and your job is done. You have to send 20 – 30 times if necessary. You are not going to promote the same offer within every email, unless you’re a one trick pony that is. Follow-up is crucial to your business. Your offer must be seen by your prospects more than a couple of times. Make sure to schedule follow-up emails.

Mistake 8 – Not asking your “list” what they want:

One of the biggest marketing bloopers I see these days is when ‘so called” marketers tell their prospects what they want, and then try and sell it to them. Take you goddamn ego out of the equation and genuinely try to get inside the mind of your prospects. You can do this very easily with your list by simply asking them what their biggest concerns are, what’s holding them back from achieving their goals and so on…

There are plenty of free tools out there that can help you set up a survey so you can get what you need to help your prospects, and your business. When you find out what they want, go get that product and sell it to them, even better yet, create the product yourself.